On November 4th, 2022, the Institute of European Studies hosted the annual Undergraduate Research Conference. The theme of the conference was “The Future of Democracy in Europe” and students were asked to consider how the War in Ukraine, the rise of populism, and continuing tension surrounding immigration would change the continent.
Six outstanding presentations were given by Eva Michela Polovina, Jete Rastina, Lena Krois, Loralee Bergdall, Lucia Alvarez, and Mark Basta. The conference was moderated by visiting scholars Lukas Lehner, Nils Stockmann, and Trym Fjørtoft. Participants were asked to share fifteen-minute presentations followed by a question-and-answer session with the moderators.
The conference commenced with Basta’s presentation on the current state of right-wing politics across Europe followed by Alvarez’s historical analysis of populism in Europe. After, Krois discussed the European Union’s democracy promotion efforts in Ukraine, Polovina conducted a comparative analysis between Switzerland and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Rastina discussed the current political tensions in Latvia. Finally, Bergall discussed the role of social media in political radicalization. Closing remarks were given by IES Director Jeroen Dewulf.
The Conference served as a great forum to discuss current European political issues and participants did an amazing job highlighting the nuances of the challenges facing European democracy.